CFNU President Report: Minimum Nurse-to-Patient Ratios a Top Priority
The second day of Convention 2024 kicked off with a presentation by special guest Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU).
Silas began by telling delegates how proud she is of BCNU’s work on behalf of its members in the areas of labour relations and the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
Silas then congratulated BCNU on its success in securing the BC government’s commitment to implement minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, and told the group she’s been sharing the story of BCNU’s efforts at events across Canada and in countries around the world.
She noted that discussion of nurse-to-patient ratios has been ongoing for close to 20 years. She told delegates that, in 2005, CFNU published a paper, the Enhancement of Patient Safety through Formal Nurse-Patient Ratios, which called for more research. She also noted that CFNU observed how ratios were being applied in California and Australia.
Silas said minimum nurse-to-patient ratios are more important than with 44,500 full-time equivalent vacant nursing positions across Canada.
“Today we are facing a crisis in nursing from Newfoundland to British Columbia,” she remarked.
Silas said minimum nurse-to-patient ratios is a winnable campaign issue with a public desperate to see solutions to address rising rates of unintentional patient harm, staff absenteeism and overtime.
“Nurses matter and we can support our nurses and let them do their job properly,” said Silas. “Ratios are going to happen across the country.”
Silas said CFNU, which represents nearly 250,000 nurses and nursing students, will stay focused on promoting minimum nurse-to-patient ratios ahead of the next federal election, which will take place on or before Oct. 20.
Silas also talked about other CFNU policy priorities, such as the promotion of the three “Rs” of nurse workforce sustainability: retain, return and recruit. These priorities include making sure nurses do not work over 12 hours a day and ending the use of agency nurses.
“We are going to ban agency nurses,” said Silas. “And I don’t blame nurses who choose to become agency nurses, I blame bad employers for forcing nurses to go into agency nursing.”
Silas reminded delegates that nurses coming together to improve working conditions is not new.
“In the 1960s, nurses created unions,” she said. “Now, we are creating better contracts with competitive wages and decent working hours.”